It's a Jungle Out There
by Restless Abhorsen
Summary: S.H.D Agent Jack Savage has been activated as part of the second wave to go into Manhattan, but when a trap kills his fellow agents and the Division's regional commander he's in trouble. Alone, except for the guidance of Agent Faye Lau, Jack is going to need some help from a pair of exceptional police officers. Can they save a city on the brink?
1. Chapter 1

\- Ch1 Welcome to the Jungle -

" _Be careful Agent, it's a jungle out there_."

The JTF Officer's words echoed in Jack's mind as he hunkered down behind an SVU, bullets pinging off its sides as the thieves tried to hit him.

 _Eh, jungle, anarchy, a madman's winter wonderland; they all seem like accurate descriptions of Manhattan right now_ , he thought grimly while crumbles of glass sprinkled over his shoulders and into his jacket's hood as someone shot out the driver's window.

Taking a deep breath he stood up from crouching behind the car and leaned out across the hood, and then carefully lined up the iron sights on his SOCOM M1A rifle. Exhaling he tucked the stock of the rifle against his shoulder, he felt his heart beat within his chest as he slowly began to starve for air, giving him a few precious seconds of stability to make the shot. Dropping his sights over the chest of the farthest armed thug, he slowly squeezed the trigger, causing the rifle to buck in his hands and cough; the sound muffled by the silencer at the end of the barrel.

The thug fell to the ground as a spot of red appeared on his hoodie, if he wasn't dead immediately he would be in a minute. Jack ducked back behind the car under a hail of bullets as his target's friends retaliated; the thug he just shot was several yards behind the others and with luck they wouldn't notice the sudden lack of fire support. Throwing the M1A over his shoulder, Jack settled the sling across his chest as he reached back and unclipped the MP7 from the side of his bag.

The two remaining thugs ducked behind their own cars, probably reloading, giving Jack time to think and plan out his next moves. The street ruffians weren't proving to be as big a problem as Jack had originally thought; just three guys with pistols and one with a submachine gun, whom he just took out. He was able to take out the first with a long range shot, which of course got the attention of the others, but it stopped them from looting an old JTF supply drop.

Now facing two-to-one odds Jack was in a better position than he was at the start, but still not as good as, well, perhaps not in a shoot-out at all.

Jack sighed and then, while remaining crouched, he walked to the other end of the car, trying to get a better angle to shoot from. He couldn't help but compare this fight to the ones he had earlier today. The fights he had in Brooklyn were much more easily managed, not to mention over in under a minute.

Of course that was all because of her.

Judy Hopps.

Jack was pleasantly surprised when he met the spunky, purple-eyed police officer, now a member of the Joint Task Force trying to maintain order in Manhattan. At first he figured she'd just get in the way after he saved her from a couple of armed looters, but it turned out she was good with a gun and willing to help the newly activated Division agent. Together they resolved the various problems plaguing Brooklyn, making sure that the borough wouldn't fall into chaos like its neighbor.

Now he realized he actually kinda missed her. Judy may have been an…exuberant person when they met, a trait that set Jack off-guard given the severity of the situation, but she was level headed in combat and they worked well together. Between the two of them it took only a couple of hours to clear out the looters and thugs, resecuring the mercy drops and JTF supplies around the borough, making the streets safe again for the residents…for now at least.

The popping sound of pistols firing pulled Jack out of his reverie. It probably wasn't a good idea for him to be more or less daydreaming about the woman he met this morning in the middle of a firefight.

 _Even if she wasn't half bad looking too,_ he thought, before ducking his head as a bullet destroyed the brake light next to his head.

Poking his head around the corner he saw that one of the ruffians got impatient and decided rush Jack's position. He didn't even need to lean all the way out of cover to aim at the man, and with two quick bursts from Jack's submachine gun he was dead. Putting his back against the trunk door he waited to see if the last thug would make the same mistake as his friend. After a few seconds nothing had happened, meaning it was Jack's turn to make a move.

Spying around the corner again he saw the man squatting behind a sedan in the middle of the road about fifty feet ahead of him. Using a grenade, while effective, would be a bad idea and possibly overkill for one man, plus the collateral damage would be unnecessary unless there were no other options.

Steeling himself with another deep breath Jack pushed off the SVU and sprinted for all he was worth. His boots pounded against the frozen pavement as his pack rocked back and forth, luckily all his gear was tighten down and stowed away, making running less of a chore. About halfway to the car he saw the man stand up and raise his pistol, still he ran, trying to beat the man's trigger finger as he raced to the back end of the car.

Time seemed to slow as the thug fired his gun.

POP

POP

POP

All three shots missed as Jack slid into the car, causing it to rock back and forth from the force of the impact, as well as eliciting a startled yelp from the man on the other side. Immediately, Jack put his MP7 over the trunk and fired blindly towards the front, his bullets shattering the back and front windows on their way to his target.

After firing he heard a dull _thump_ come from the front followed by silence. Getting down on his hands and knees Jack looked under the car and saw the boots and pants of the man as he lied on the ground.

Getting up he cautiously stalked forward, planning to make sure the man was dead. Transferring his MP7 to its clip on his backpack Jack pulled out his pistol from his thigh holster and held it before him in a two-handed grip. As he rounded the front of the vehicle he saw the man on the ground with his pistol some ten feet away, apparently the man threw it as he fell.

He wasn't dead yet, his chest still rose and fell, albeit slowly, and pumped blood onto the ground from the two bullets wounds he sustained. The man slowly turned his head to look at Jack as he approached, his glossy eyes full of pain and hatred, then raising a shaky hand he flipped off Jack.

Without a word Jack raised his arm and fired a single shot. The sound echoing off the stranded cars and deserted buildings somehow seemed louder than the hailstorm of bullets that flew mere moments ago.

Jack sighed wearily as he holstered his pistol and checked his sub-gun's clip, looking to see if he needed to reconsolidate his ammo before moving on. There was about half a clip left so he simply slapped the magazine back in the gun and racked the slide before putting it back up.

 _I wonder if Judy's having a better day than I am_ , he thought, unslinging his M1A as he pressed on down the street.

She had chattered a good bit as they walked between destinations and encounters, mostly about her time as a cop but also a lot about her partner, some man named Nick. Judy was sent to Brooklyn to help control the situation there while Nick had stayed at the JTF's Base of Operations, it was a one day task for her that turned into a three day hassle as things spiraled out of control before Jack and Faye Lau arrived.

She expressed her worry about the city and what the Dollar Flu had done to it. She was also really worried about Nick, and her friends back at the base; when she left there were rumors about the local street gang making a push against the JTF. She hadn't received any word or transmissions from them the entire time she was in Brooklyn, and the radio silence was getting to her.

Before Jack could travel much farther, ISAC chirped on his left shoulder indicating he had an incoming message. Jack raised his left hand and looked at the watch on his wrist, its glowing orange ring shining brightly despite the sunlight around him; it was from Faye, which was a good sign.

"Agent Savage here," he responded in a cool voice.

"Agent, it's Faye Lau. I heard you went off to run some errands while I was in surgery."

"Sure did, just playing janitor out here is all."

"Good job, the Joint Tasks Force needs the help and it'll be good for civilians to see us making some ground against the opportunists and thieves out there. Anyway I need you to double-time it back to Camp Hudson, JTF needs our help with something else, HQ has been cut off by armed forces and the last few transmissions didn't sound good."

"10-4, I'm on my way."

Jack closed his eyes and took in a long deep breath of cold air; he watched the stream of fog that drifted out as he let out a deep sigh. The silence on the street became eerie and made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Looking around he took in the scene around him; four dead criminals, half a dozen shot-up cars, and lots and lots of brass on the ground mixing in with the snow and blood.

It was going to be a long mission.

"Welcome to the jungle, we've got fun and games…" he sang softly to himself before jogging off back to camp.

* * *

 **AN: Thanks for reading the intro chapter to this story. In case anyone is still wondering this story takes place in the Division universe with our beloved Zootopia characters placed inside. Some Division people have been replaced with some from Zootopia, just as a heads up. Please review and let me know how you feel about this chapter. -RA**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not even the furniture in my home, it's all my wife's.**


	2. Chapter 2

-Landfall-

A dull thud traveled through the hull of the ferry as it connected with the pier at Camp Hudson. With the quarantine in place and the bridges clogged with vehicles stranded from the evacuations the JTF had to use ferries, helicopters, and a few remaining tunnels to get supplies and personnel into the camps.

NYPD Officer Judy Hopps spent the ride across the river leaning against the railing, the strong winds pushing her light grey hair back and causing her eyes to water as she looked at the city that had been her home for the past year and a half.

 _All it took was a few weeks before the panic and chaos almost destroyed this wonderful city,_ she thought with a sigh. Unzipping her grey hiking jacket she bent down to grab her backpack and rifle before turning around and walking over to the other side to disembark.

On her way over to the line she reached up to remove the scarf she had covering her face, she forgot to grab hers before boat ride over to Brooklyn three days ago and her whole face felt numb after the ride; luckily, this time she was able to borrow one.

Recalling who she borrowed it from, Judy couldn't suppress the smile that crept its way to her face. Of course there was sadness to the smile as she remembered what the Agent had told her as they parted.

 _It was only a few hours ago but I already feels like it's been days,_ she reflected as the line shuffled forward slowly.

* * *

Earlier that morning the snow began to fall heavily for a while, causing near white-out conditions, and Judy's patrol group was pinned down by armed rioters who were trying to steal the supply drop they were guarding. One by one the JTF fire team fell, leaving Judy as the last line of defense against three or four assailants. Luckily, Agent Savage came onto the scene and helped turn back the tide of attackers before she was overwhelmed.

Judy took Jack's offer to team up and together they worked to clean up the streets. As the two of them searched the neighborhoods the heavy snowflakes began to sting her face, which she tried to cover with her hands, reducing the pain but not eliminating it.

Rather than fighting the snow and low visibility they took shelter inside a deserted store, taking a breather and grabbing a snack of energy bars and water. Jack surprised her by offering his scarf, claiming he was going to be fine without it, despite the biting winds and snow.

By noon they and a small group of National Guard soldiers saved the Brooklyn police precinct from a large group of rioters. With Brooklyn saved and their job done Judy had tried returning the grey scarf to him before they parted ways.

He smiled and shook his head, "You can keep it Officer Hopps. I've been fine without it all day, plus you can use it as a backup now."

"Oh, thank you," she said, blushing a little at the unexpected gift. "Well…if we meet up in the future I can always give it back to you if you need it."

"Then I'll leave it in your safekeeping," he replied in a cool and calm voice. "Thank you for your help today Officer, if we had more people like you I'm sure we'd take back New York in a week," he chuckled, reaching out to shake her hand.

Judy felt her face burn even hotter as she slowly let go of his hand, maybe she was more wind burned then she originally thought. Still, she chuckled along with the agent, shyly averting her eyes.

She felt uncomfortable when people complimented her, even after the Night Howler case that she and Nick cracked. She just felt that it was her duty; just part of the job, the attention was merely an unwelcome by-product.

"So what happens now?"

He paused a moment to brush off the snow out of his hair and off his shoulders with a gloved hand before responding, "I'm honestly not sure, I guess I'll head back to the safe house and…"

Before he could finish, the computer on his shoulder chirped and he raised a hand to his ear. As he listened he paced back and forth, nodding his head and uttering a couple of 'mmhmms' and 'yeahs' throughout the message. Judy waited quietly, curious of what the message was, but she curbed the temptation to step closer to him and eavesdrop.

"Okay," Jack proclaimed loudly with a clap of his hands, causing Judy to jump a little, "that was Faye Lau, a fellow Divison agent. She and the rest of the second wave of agents are waiting at the pier." He made eye contact with Judy for a moment, trying to pick his words carefully, before wetting his lips and turning away.

"I'll be honest Judy," he started hesitantly. She perked up at the sound of her name, he hadn't used it all day except when they introduced themselves, it's always been 'Officer Hopps' or 'Officer' or even just 'Hopps' a couple of times, just like everyone else at the precinct.

"I'm really nervous about this mission, and I'm also…really excited. And that makes me feel horrible." He gave a harsh bark of a laugh, "How I can be excited about doing my job, when the only reason I'm here is because everything is standing at the edge of a bottomless void. I mean people lie dead in the streets, good people…innocent people. Criminals are running rampant apparently. And good men and women like you are here, facing death and hate everyday just trying to make it all right again."

"How can I be excited about this? How?!"

When he finished he met her eyes again, this time they were filled with something she hadn't seen in them all day, uncertainty.

Judy stood there, stunned; here was a man who just minutes ago faced down armed rioters and thugs without flinching. A man whose calm helped her make it through the day; who saved her life not three hours ago. And now, he was letting her, a stranger, see past the mask he wore, letting her see the worries and thoughts and emotions he kept hidden just beneath the surface.

Throughout the morning Judy spoke a lot, or rather, she rambled; whenever she got nervous she would talk and talk and talk. She tried to control it, but it still happened, a lot.

Now, while she didn't learn much about Agent Savage through conversation, she did learn a lot through his actions and the way he treated civilians and other JTF officers.

Although Jack Savage was a dangerous man, Judy knew he was a good man.

He helped any civilian they came across, whether it was making sure they got to safety or sharing some of his meager supplies, he made sure to do all he could to make their lives better. Whenever they came across fellow JTF officers he would always make sure they made it out, thinking quickly and reacting fast, saving lives whenever he could.

A good dozen JTF personnel owed Jack their lives today; herself included.

"Jack," she started softly, reaching up to touch his shoulder in a way she hoped was comforting, "I know how you feel…cause I feel the same way."

Jack squared his shoulders, and faced Judy with a puzzled look in his eyes. She took that as a cue to continue, "I feel the same way about my job. I'm a police officer Jack, I capture criminals and write tickets all day but that only happens after they break the law, not stopping the crime from happening in the first place, and it's really saddening sometimes."

"But I'm excited every day I get up and put on my uniform, because at least somehow, in some little way, I can make the world a better place," she finished with a smile.

Jack stood there looking into her eyes, shining in the afternoon light. Throughout the day he noticed her eyes tended to sparkle whenever she talked about the things she loved; her job, her family, even her friends in the force.

As he searched her eyes, Jack felt his resolve bolstered by hers, taking a deep breath he straighten up and managed a smile. "Thank you Judy," he said, reaching across his chest to give her hand a gentle squeeze, "thank you for your help and insight today. I hope we get the chance to meet again."

His eyes grew a little sad again when he said 'hope', but he shook his head and smiled as he stepped away and turned around, exiting through the gates that lead to the helipad at the back of the precinct's grounds.

Judy stood there for a moment, transfixed on the gate Jack left through, before shaking herself out of her stupor. She needed to head to the JTF ferry herself to catch the next boat over. She had to get back to base and to her precinct, and Nick; she knew he would be helpless without her and she'd been gone for over three days now. Turning the opposite way Agent Savage had and she began jogging to the Camp Hudson boats a few blocks away.

She was long gone in a couple of minutes, and too far away to hear the explosion of the Divison's doomed transport.

* * *

A few hours of waiting and one 15 minute boat ride later she was back at Camp Hudson, the huge CERA refugee camp at the Hudson Piers. The delay was caused by a mix-up between the dock workers and JTF soldiers and workers trying to load the boat with as much supplies as they could, which took a lot of moving and finagling to not over load the boat.

With only another hour or so of light left in the day Judy was worried they might not let her out of the camp to head to base, even JTF personnel had to abide by the curfew unless they were on patrol or assignment.

She stepped out on the concrete of the pier; the wind blowing off the water pushed her hair forward annoyingly, making it whip around her face and into her eyes. Frowning, she combated her unruly hair with a ponytail holder she had on her wrist, tying it up and pulling it through the loop at the back of her NYPD cap. After replacing her cap she stood there, a short distance from the ferry, trying to get her bearings, wondering where to go or who to see to get permission to leave for base.

"Look alive po-po, make way for the real soldiers," a gruff voice said behind her. Looking over her shoulder, Judy saw a group of National Guardsmen walking up the path from the boat. They hadn't even received their JTF markings and gear yet.

She scowled at the man's rude comment, but moved aside anyway. She had learned early on with nearly everyone telling her that a country girl from a family of farmers would never make it as a cop; there were many battles worth fighting, but many more not worth the effort.

After the soldiers passed by she looked back to the boat, noticing some of the gear they were off-loading now. The crew set down four large crates, large enough to hold several bodies within them, like the ones they were using at the burial lots. What caught her eye though was the emblem on the side.

The emblem was a picture of a white phoenix, its wings flared out, surrounded by an orange ring. Above the phoenix were the letters S.H.D, and below it the words 'Extremis Malis Extrema Remedia'.

As of this morning Judy knew about as much Latin as the next person, and definitely not those four words, but after working with Agent Savage earlier today, she knew them now.

'Extreme Remedies for Extreme Evils'

Judy watched as they loaded the four crates onto flatbed carts and started wheeling them away. She had a hunch; and listening to her intuition she followed the crates.

The first set of Divison agents acted very insular from the rest of the JTF but they still needed a place to store their gear and restock, she figured this new gear would be stored at the Base of Operations as well. It wasn't a guarantee but she figured if those crates were bound for the base, she could tag alongside and get back and rejoin her co-workers.

The Joint Tasks Force tried to keep people together, according to their jobs and positions before the crisis, but given the death rates among the JTF and the needs of staffing the safe houses and refugee camps, people were sent where they were needed; and the camps always needed more police and guards.

If Judy didn't get back to base tonight it was possible she may never get a chance to return. Her duty came before personal preference, but she wouldn't give up on trying to return to her precinct.

These thoughts weighed down on her mind as the crates made their way to the front gates of the camp. A small group of people were gathered around a truck, which was being loaded down with gear and supplies. As the workers loaded the Divison crates onto the truck, she walked up to the group of people, noticing the regular crates of varying sizes all said 'To Base of Operations' painted on the side.

 _Hunch confirmed_ , Judy smirked as she inwardly cheered; _now to find out how to join this bandwagon_.

Even at the back of the group Judy could see that everyone was standing around a National Guard lieutenant and a woman seated at a table, who had a bandage wrapped around her head and right eye. The two seemed to be locked in a heated debate for the moment.

"Listen," the lieutenant was saying, "I am not sending in my newest troops to be lost in a trap or rush headlong into a firefight. I say we wait for the reinforcements coming tomorrow and then we can consider taking back the base, if the opportunity presents itself."

The woman sighed tiredly before responding, "Lieutenant, I understand your reluctance to risk lives, but we can't let the base fall. Plus there are many non-combatant personnel still inside who need our help."

The National Guard lieutenant threw his arms in the air and started pacing before the seated woman; Judy took a chance and edged closer to the pair. From her new vantage point she could see the woman had a brace against her leg, with bandages around it too.

 _What happened to her,_ Judy wondered.

"I don't think you understand Miss Lau," the lieutenant nearly shouted, stopping in front of her while he slammed his hands down on the table. "These men could be used to patrol and keep this camp safe, or sent up north to strengthen some of the safe houses up there. They're not going to be wasted on a lost cause that the Chief himself didn't even stay around to hold."

 _What?! Chief Bogo would never abandon the base, especially with people still inside,_ Judy worried about the implications of the lieutenant's words.

"Lieutenant you're getting carried away, you know the Chief wouldn't leave without a good reason. My agent is on his way, when he arrives, let these men go with him and free up the base, then we can begin rebuilding the JTF's forces all over the city."

For a moment it looked like the lieutenant would continue fighting, instead he sighed wearily, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine, if they want to help your crazy agent on this insane rescue operation then they can go," he paused, glaring at Lau as if she assaulted his mother, "but I remember how helpful the first group of 'Divison agents' were. I don't trust you or your friends."

Slowly rising from her chair, Lau met the lieutenant's eyes. "Don't worry your men will return, successful," Lau assured the lieutenant, ignoring the insult he threw at her.

As the group of soldiers moved about gathering their gear, Judy walked up to the woman, figuring she was her best shot at joining this group.

"Excuse me," she started quietly, trying to not be overheard by the aggravated guardsmen around them.

Faye turned to face her and paused, giving Judy a once-over, her eye stopping briefly at her cap and badge, which she kept pinned to her vest. "Yes… officer, can I help you?"

"Hi, I'm Officer Judy Hopps NYPD," she extended her hand which the other woman shook, "my precinct is actually under Chief Bogo and we're in charge of guarding the Base of Operations. I'd like to join the group going there."

Lau chuckled before hissing and jerking a hand to the stitches by her eye. "Officer Hopps you say?"

Judy nodded slowly, unsure where she was going with the question.

Lau continued, "I'm Strategic Homeland Divison Agent Faye Lau, it's nice to meet you. Agent Savage spoke very highly about you."

"He did?" Judy squeaked slightly, she nervously pushed her bangs out of her face, "y-you know Agent Savage? He gave the impression that you Divison agents were very…personal in nature."

Lau nodded her head as she sat back down, "Yeah, most of us are, but I was activated along with Savage and we met up at the safe house in Brooklyn, and at the helipad," she turned her head away at the last part. "So you want to get back to base? No problem, just follow these officers here, they're going there in a minute to break the siege."

"Siege? What siege?"

"From what I've been told, as of two days ago a large group of armed rioters assaulted the field hospital at Madison Square Garden and the JTF headquarters at the NYC post office across the street."

Panic seized Judy's heart at the news; she just heard the argument about trying to take back the base so she knew that they were still standing, but two days of fighting? Her friends were in trouble, she needed to get there now.

Taking a deep breath she tried to calm her fraying nerves, her heart felt like it was trying to come through her ribcage. What if Nick was hurt? What if Clawhauser or anyone else was? Where did the chief go, why did he leave them?

Faye watched the young police officer pace back and forth, her eyes flicking side to side. "Officer Hopps," she called out.

Judy ignored her, or possibly didn't hear her.

"Officer Hopps," she called again, a little bit louder.

Again nothing as Judy walked past the table, her hands covering her mouth as she started breathing heavily.

"Officer Judy HOPPS," she shouted, causing the workers and soldiers turn and look at the two of them, before returning to their work.

This time Judy jumped and spun around to face her, chagrined at her inattention. "Yes, agent?"

"It's going to be ok Judy; we're going to take back that base, and you're going to help."

"Yeah…yeah you're right. Thank you," she smiled.

By now the National Guardsmen were done gathering up their guns and vests, now marking them as JTF officers. As Judy and Faye were talking they got closer, clearly interested in the conversation, one stepped forward who Judy recognized as the man who yelled at her earlier down by the boat.

"Excuse me, did you say the po-po is coming with us," the man asked in a curt tone, looking right past Judy to stare down Faye.

"Yes I did sergeant; Officer Hopps here was originally stationed there and needs to report to her superiors."

"Well that may be but she's not coming with us. I mean it's cute and all that you think she could keep up with real soldiers like us, but I'll not have an under-trained police officer endangering me and my men." He smiled as a couple of the men behind him chuckled arrogantly.

Judy could feel her face heat up in anger as he spoke, she was fairly certain if her mother felt her face at this moment she would send her to bed with the instruction to drink lots of water. Earlier, she let the man's rude comment slide, figuring it wasn't worth the trouble to correct him.

But if he was going to stop her from getting back to her friends; well then, it was time to take off the gloves.

Taking a step forward, Judy planted a hand on her hip and took in lungful of air, preparing to let loose at the conceited officer. It was a well rehearsed speech that she gave often, all about not judging people by their appearances and never underestimating what people were capable of; especially her.

Before she could release the beast the sergeant unwisely provoked, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder, and heard the clicking of boots stomping on the concrete. Turning her head to address the stranger holding her, she looked up and gulped in surprise.

"Excuse me sergeant, but I'd have Officer Hopps at my side any day, especially over a bunch of cocky soldiers who haven't even been out past the gates yet," the man said in a strong, calm voice.

"Just who the hell are you," one of the guardsmen in the back asked heatedly.

"I don't care who he is," the sergeant scoffed, waving a hand dismissively in their direction, "we were assigned the task to break the siege and we won't be letting some arrogant prick and his sidekick cop get in our way."

Judy turned back to the soldiers, seething as they continued to insult her. It was like her first week at the precinct all over again, no one cared about what she could do or the fact that she was the valedictorian of her class, all they saw was a girl from the country who 'wouldn't make it in the big city'.

"To answer your question," he said coolly, pointing at the man in the back, "I am Strategic Homeland Divison Agent Jack Savage, and now, I do believe it's time to go save some friends, with or without your help, sergeant. Officer Hopps and I will be leaving in just a minute." He smiled as though they were discussing the weather over some coffee, instead of getting in an argument about who was or wasn't getting to enter a warzone.

Gently taking her shoulder, Jack spun Judy around and together they faced Faye Lau, who had watched the proceedings with great interest. As they stepped up to the table Jack opened a small holographic map that sprung up from the orange ringed watch he wore, it only showed the nearby blocks but he began moving a pair of fingers over the map, causing it pan over the nearby neighborhoods.

Judy was still a little red in the face and breathing heavily, her anger still simmering inside. Jack looked at for a second before speaking, "Calm down Hopps, you know they aren't worth the effort." He smiled, letting himself relax, hoping it would encourage her to do the same.

She took a couple more deep breaths and began to calm down. While she stood there she couldn't stop from hearing Nick's voice in her head, offering the advice he had given her several times before, _'Don't let them see they get to you.'_

 _Well I missed the mark on that one didn't I,_ she thought dourly.

"Hey Hopps where is the base on this map," Jack asked, pulling her back to the conversion at hand.

"Riiight…there," she pointed to the post office in Pennsylvania Plaza.

"Thank you. And Faye, how are you?" He asked looking up from the miniature map which closed as he lowered his arm.

"I'm good agent, thanks for asking. Are you ready to take back our base?"

"Yes I am," he answered then, turning to look at Judy, his eyes filled with concern, "Are you ready to go home Judy?"

Before answering she took a deep breath, still a little shaky from fighting with the guardsmen, she nodded, causing her ponytail to bob up and down, "Yeah, I'm ready; I need to get back there."

Jack stared into her purple eyes, making sure she was calm and ready. Satisfied with what he saw he smiled and nodded, then clapped her on the arm before turning away and calling out, "Alright everyone let's get this show on the road."

With that Jack, Judy, and the six JTF officers all started jogging through the gates, towards the outer ring of the camp. As Judy followed Jack through the decontamination rooms she began to smell smoke in the air and something else, something acrid.

When they stepped back outside she saw why.

The outer ring of camp was just an extension built to accommodate for the increasing numbers of refugees, when she left for Brooklyn the camp seemed a little quiet but there were still people here and there.

Now, it was a snow-covered, burned out husk of melted plastic and twisted chain link fence.

As they continued on she saw rows and rows of snow covered body bags lining the sidewalks, all which lead to the melted ruins of the outer set of screening rooms. The smell of smoke and plastic was almost unbearable as they walked through the rooms, broken pieces of equipment lay strewn about the floor and the walls were in various states of falling down, some sections were completely gone showing the ground outside.

Judy was happy to finally be outside again; even the freezing wind was a nice reprieve from the oppressive sights and smells of the ruined camp.

"What happened out here," one of the guardsmen asked when they stepped out onto the streets.

Jack pulled out his shooting glasses from one of his jacket pockets, and after putting them on he looked around for a minute. "Looks like all this was done a couple of days ago, a large group of rioters stormed through; lots of improvised weapons and Molotov cocktails, which explains all the partially burned surfaces," he answered.

Everyone looked around for themselves, not seeing what Jack saw. They couldn't see the motionless, orange pixilated forms of the angry mob. They didn't hear the angry shouts of the people or the sounds of breaking glass and fire spreading.

They couldn't see the dozen JTF guards in riot control gear trying to keep the crowd from storming through the gates; nor could they see the flags that ISAC pulled up from its many databases, displaying in full detail their names, faces, and how they had died.

No, only Jack saw what the echo showed. Judy and the others could only see the aftermath, and it was bad enough.

Judy couldn't suppress the shudder that worked its way up her spine. _Why_ , she wondered, _why would anyone attack innocents just trying to survive?_

"Come on everyone, the longer we take to get there the more trouble are friends getting into," Jack called out turning around and started jogging away, leading the group towards base.

* * *

 **AN: Thanks for continuing to read It's A Jungle Out There. As a heads up, school is back in session so my already slow rate of writing will be slowing down even more now. For those interested in this story, please stay tuned, just give me time and the chapters will keep coming. Thanks again. -RA**


	3. Chapter 3

– Ch 3 Reunion –

* * *

"We are under attack! We need any reinforcements you can send, anyone who can help, I don't know how much longer we'll last," a frantic voice cut over the radio.

 _That sounds like Clawhauser,_ Judy thought. The jovial dispatch officer was excitable on a normal day; after two and a half days of constant fighting he sounded nearly hysterical.

"We don't have anyone to send, we're barely holding the camp as it is. I'm-I'm sorry," an equally frazzled officer from Camp Hudson responded.

The sound of gunfire echoed off the tall faces of the buildings that surrounded the plaza, urging Judy and the others to run even faster. Passing stranded vehicles all around them the group approached the edge of the plaza cautiously, hoping to avoid stumbling into a trap. The mobile security towers placed at the intersections stood as silent sentries over the area, guarding an empty road; the proud NYPD badges painted on the front unmarred by the damage and dirt that the cars around them had weathered.

As they entered the plaza they could see a large group of darkly dressed thugs and rioters standing around a large decontamination tent in a loose circle. Now that they were close to the base's radio towers they were able to tap into the JTF's radio channel through Jack's ISAC. A scratching sound came over the airways, cutting off the end of the camp radio operator's message.

"Base, this is Divison Agent Faye Lau; I have an agent inbound on your position with JTF officers in tow. They're going to take care of your pest problem any minute, watch out for friendly fire."

The group came to a stop a little ways into the plaza; they huddled behind a bus which obscured them from view of the rioters, with Madison Square Garden looming to their right. Jack pulled up his watch and began pressing buttons on its surface, after a moment he turned to look at the bus and then back to everyone, the setting sun causing his shooting glasses to turn opaque as he looked around the assembled team.

"Okay we've got twelve tangos over there. Officer Hopps and I are going to sneak behind the cars and that traffic barricade on the right, giving us a chance to flank them. You guys move up from here, just keep us at your three o'clock, okay?"

Heads nodded all around the group with the exception of the sergeant who merely scowled, clearly unhappy with his command being pulled from him. As they waited for the command to move out everyone began checking their gear, pulling out clips and checking the number of bullets they carried, clearing gun chambers, and triple checking safeties - making sure they were off. All these actions were nervous, and unnecessary, habits of the soldiers; seeing as Jack was the only one to use his weapons recently.

After one last glance to his watch Jack turned to the guardsmen and their leader, "Give us 30 seconds to get into position. We fire on your word, sergeant."

With that Jack and Judy broke-out from behind the bus and together they ran from car to car, staying low to remain unseen as they leap-frogged past each other. The shouting of the group of rioters grew louder as they got closer, though what they were saying remained unclear, but it definitely sounded angry to Judy.

They successfully made it to cover just across from the entrance to the base; the guardsmen were still 150 feet back to their left, glimpses of their orange vests could be seen from behind cars and a few billboards as they too ran to their positions.

As Judy crouched behind a concrete barricade she looked back to Jack, who was leaning against a police SUV, its lights were still flashing, casting odd, blue and red shadows across his face. He looked back at her and gave her a quick wink and a reassuring nod, smirking.

She peeked around the corner of her cover getting a good, and intimidating, look at what they faced. Like Jack said there were twelve men standing around, waving their arms and guns, some even fired their guns randomly into the air as they shouted at and taunted the JTF forces trapped inside the building.

Judy winced as the sound of the gunshots assaulted her sensitive ears. The sound of her own rifle gave her a headache this morning, and a ringing in her ears that lasted most of the day. She really needed to find some ear protection before she went deaf.

Waiting for the National Guardsmen to act was fraying her nerves; she was never good at being patient. Typically when Judy had a goal in mind or a job to do she went at it full force until it was completed; but waiting, especially on people she didn't know, was testing her. She kept taking deep breaths, trying to remain calm; honestly she'd had enough fighting and killing for one day, but she was so close to home. Just one more push and she would be done, for now anyway.

Looking through the group of criminals, Judy was deciding who to focus on once the soldiers kicked over this anthill. As she watched her eyes were drawn to a man standing at the front of the group, just in front of the doorway leading into the base. He was dressed in dark clothing like the rest, but he had a big backpack on, and his hoodie looked oddly bulky, as if it were a size or two too large. He was rallying the group, apparently getting them ready to charge into the base.

Judy continued to watch him as his shouting grew louder and more senseless, causing the crowd to grow more agitated. At the end of his speech the man raised an arm in the air, something clutched in his fist; then, with a wordless shout, he slammed his fist down onto his leg and threw whatever was in his hand to the side.

At that moment the JTF guardsmen started firing on the crowd. Out of the six soldiers: one was a marksman, like Jack, two others used light machine guns, and the remaining three used assault rifles similar to Judy's.

Simply put, in the opening seconds of the fight it literally rained bullets, four of the rioters fell to the ground before the rest could react, the sound of gunfire causing them to scatter for cover.

Judy ducked back behind the barricade before anyone could see her, turning she saw Jack still standing against the car, waiting for the rioters to be fully focused on the guardsmen before firing and exposing their position.

"Jack!" She yelled to be heard over the gunfire and sound of impacting bullets. "Big guy with backpack! He did something to himself, something odd."

"Got it!" He yelled back evenly. Raising his M1A to his shoulder, he leaned out and peered down the scope, spotting the man Judy pointed out hanging around the back of the group behind a billboard. The man and several of his flunkies were shooting back at the JTF men, oblivious to the threat at their side.

Jack placed the crosshairs over the man's chest; he hadn't had time to adjust the new scope yet, so he had to settle for shooting the center of mass instead of a headshot which he preferred for finishing the job quickly. Something about this man's bagging clothing seemed off, and it gave Jack an uneasy feeling deep in his gut.

With the shot lined up Jack released the breath he held and steadily pulled the trigger three times. The man staggered as two shots connected with his chest and the third hit his leg, his pants darkening with blood; but he didn't go down. Looking up he saw Jack, then pointed and shouted something to his friends as he hid behind some cover that blocked him from view of everyone.

Jack ducked back behind the SVU as bullets began flying his direction. He began to worry, the man should have fallen, three hits with .308 caliber bullets at close range and the man was still standing; it just wasn't right. Deciding to get answers Jack left the cover of the SVU and ran up to the barricade, sliding in next to Judy he dropped his rifle and pulled out his MP7.

"Hopps, you said the man did something to himself," Jack said, holding his gun over his shoulder and firing randomly, encouraging their enemies to keep their heads down. "What did he do?"

Judy popped out and fired a couple of bursts, dropping a man who hadn't realized he'd been flanked yet. "You shot him didn't you?" She asked as she pressed her back up against the concrete again, looking at Jack next to her.

"Yeah, two in the chest but he didn't go down. I think he's wearing armor."

"Shit," was all she could say as concrete chips began to fly from the bullets that struck their cover. The guardsmen renewed their assault from the left, pulling the rioters' attention back down the street, freeing up Judy to look over the wall. She saw the man with a backpack jump up and run towards the soldiers, seemingly unfazed by the wound on his leg.

A thought came to her mind as she watched him run, and it was not one she liked. Facing Jack again she voiced her concern, "Jack, I think he hit himself with a med-pack stimulant shot. That explains his aggression and disregard for being hit. Also I didn't see blood on his chest."

"Damn it." He stood up and fired at the last lackey while the armored thug sprayed bullets at the guardsmen, who were sensibly keeping their heads down. Somehow a round must have slipped through an ad board, causing one of the officers to fall on the ground, screaming as his clutched his stomach.

"Cortez!" They heard the sergeant yelling over the radio. "Adams, get over there and help him!"

Jack cued up his own mike, "Sergeant that man is wearing body armor and doped himself with something, probably one of our own med-packs. I'm going to toss a flashbang and then we hit him simultaneously."

"Understood agent," replied the guardsman, suddenly losing his former animosity.

"Cover your eyes and ears everyone," Jack yelled. Standing up again he primed a grenade in his right hand and tossed it in an underhanded throw. It landed several feet away from the man who was oblivious to the trap as he continued to keep the guardsmen pinned down with his light machine gun. Jack then pulled up his submachine gun and fired at him, getting the man's attention and causing him to look just about where the grenade landed.

Jack dropped to the ground as the man fired back at him, he grabbed his rifle and then crouched next to Judy; who rightfully, but comically, was crouching with her eyes scrunched shut and her hands clapped over her ears. Jack smiled and began to chuckle at her expression.

…

BOOM

The flashbang went off, causing the sky to brighten as if a lightning bolt crashed into the middle of the battlefield. Jack immediately stopped laughing as the concussive sound echoed off the buildings and hit his eardrums, it wasn't bad enough to bust them but now there was a slight ringing coming from the ear that didn't have the in-ear mike to protect it.

 _Next time I'll cover my ears and instead of laughing at Hopps_ , he thought, miffed at his own carelessness.

Wasting no time, Jack and Judy leaned out over the concrete barricade, pushing off what little snow had gathered along the top as they rested their arms, giving themselves a stable platform to shoot from. Then they fired on the blinded man in slow, controlled bursts and semi-automatic trigger pulls along with the other four JTF soldiers.

Under fire from six people the man struggled to remain standing, but he did for a few seconds, before dropping his gun and falling to his knees. Modern body armor, even high-end stuff, could only take so much punishment; trauma plates cracked, and Kevlar weave broke down after enough shots. The combined efforts of the JTF force brought down the riot ringleader despite his heavy armor and drug induce strength.

The street became quiet as the last member of this group of rioters died. Everyone took a second to catch their breath; Jack slung his rifle over his shoulder as he ran over to the wounded guardsmen, Judy followed him after a moment of hesitating. She could run inside the base and get help, but maybe she could be useful now.

The snow and water slush around the fallen guardsmen was already stained red with the blood coming out of the exit wound on his back. Adams had taken off Cortez's vest and was currently trying to stuff of wound with gauze to staunch the bleeding.

"How is he?" Jack asked, kneeling down next to Adams.

"I d-don't know," Adams stammered, "I'm not trained past basic first aid."

"Okay, a couple of you grab his arms, I'll grab his legs. Let's run him inside, there's got to be a doctor in there."

Following Jack's lead, Adams and the sergeant picked up Cortez by his shoulders and began moving as fast as they could, trying not to open his wounds any farther. Cortez tried to remain quiet but he couldn't help from crying out periodically as they moved towards the base.

"Hopps! Lead the way for us," Jack called out.

Judy nodded, her eyes wide as she jogged forward and pushed the plastic strips in the doorway aside as she yelled up the ramp, "It's Officer Hopps with friendlies, we've got wounded!"

"Judy?!" A deep voice called out, it sounded like Delgato. A slight smile crept onto her face, the familiar voice already beginning to make her feel at ease.

Continuing up the ramps she rounded the awkward corners of the oversized room, and at the end of the hallway, through the actual doors of the post office, she saw Delgato and Fangmeyer. The two detectives pointed their M4 rifle barrels up and to the side once they saw her.

"Holy shit, it is Hopps!" Fangmeyer nearly shouted.

Judy turned around, looking back down the ramp as Jack rounded the corners with Cortez's legs beneath his arms. She waved at him to follow her down the hallway and into the base proper.

"Come on," she said still leading the agent and JTF soldiers, "the medical wing is over here to the left."

Passing through the deserted post office foyer, the group burst through the doorway into the medical wing, startling a dozing EMT who had his head down on a table. Judy looked around frantically searching for a table or bed or anything for Cortez to lie down on. Spotting an open gurney she pointed over to it; and then, trying to stay out of the way, she walked over to the paramedic.

"We have a soldier here with a gunshot wound to the lower abdomen."

"Two gunshots," Adams corrected over his shoulder as they slowly set Cortez down on the gurney.

"Two wounds," she amended, "is there anyone who could help you?"

The EMT shook his head as he walked over and started checking Cortez's vitals. "No, it's been just me and my partner ever since Dr. Kandel and the rest of the medical staff went over to the field hospital."

"How long have they been gone," Jack asked as he stepped back from the gurney.

"Ahh…three, maybe four days now. I can't keep it the days and nights straight anymore."

Jack nodded before leaving the room, he wouldn't be of any help in there, but Kandel and her team would be. He needed to go rescue them, now; but first he needed to restock on ammo before staging a daring rescue operation. Walking around the lobby looking for an ammo cache he noticed a couple dozen officers standing around the once empty room, staring at him, or past him he realized as he turned around.

After a moment Judy walked through the doorway from the medical wing; straightening her jacket and pulling off her backpack before looking up. She was greeted with the sight of her co-workers standing around and staring at her as though she were a ghost. "Hey everyone," she said, tentatively raising her hand and gave them a small wave.

After she spoke the crowd erupted into a mass of questions and surged forward swarming the young officer.

"Judy where have you been?!"

"What happened in Brooklyn?"

"Why did it take you so long to get back, are you okay?"

These and a dozen other inquires clamored for her attention, she tried to answer the ones she heard but kept getting swept up in handshakes and even a few hugs from her co-workers. Everyone was clearly excited that the siege was broken, but almost as important, their very own Judy Hopps had returned.

Jack edged his way to the side of the group of people, trying to escape the wave of humanity that threatened to swallow him along with Judy. Breaking free he found himself standing near the center hallway, beside a desk and a crate that sat against the wall, the crate caught his eye; it had the Divison logo on the side along with a glowing orange ring on the center of its lid.

Looking over his shoulder, Jack saw that Judy seemed well at hand with her friends and co-workers. As he watched a rather portly officer broke free of the crowd, running right past Jack with a big smile on his face as he jogged down the hallway.

Turning his attention back to the crate, Jack decided to see if there was anything useful inside which he could use on his next task. Kneeling down he lifted his left hand up to the circle, holding his watch in front of the scanner. After a second of waiting the circle flashed and gave a quick _beep-beep_ , Jack then gripped the sides of the lid and opened it.

Inside there were only a handful of things left; he saw a couple of ballistic shields, a portable cover stand, a few launchable first aid tubes, and even a support station sat at the bottom of the crate. Amongst what was left behind from the first wave of agents Jack did find what he needed, from within the crate he pulled out an automated turret and a hand-held grenade launcher designed for the Divison's remote-activated sticky bombs.

Closing the lid, he turned around and used the crate as a chair, and then picking up the turret Jack placed it in his lap and began to put in his ISAC activation code. Before Jack could use the turret he needed to program it to his ISAC, marking himself and other JTF personnel as friendlies. These tools would help him rescue the medical team, especially since he was going in alone.

The crowd around Judy grew quieter as she began to tell them of her adventure in Brooklyn, she explained how things spiraled out of control until today; she then went into detail on how Jack saved her, and then how together they saved the borough. As she told her story she pointed at Jack, who was still sitting on the crate, working on the grenade launcher now.

When he heard his name Jack looked up and waved to the assembled police officers, receiving a mixture of expressions. Most gave him nods of gratitude, from a few it was distrust or disinterest, but from two to three individuals he received looks of barely hidden hostility.

Everyone turned back to Judy as she continued telling them what else happened today, leading up to the fight just outside; but as she talked she grew a little anxious. Her brow furrowed as she looked over the faces in the crowd, she wasn't finding what, or who, she wanted.

Jack was watching Judy as he heard uneven footsteps approach from the hallway. Poking his head around the corner of the wall, he saw the portly officer from before, Clawhauser his nametag read, returning from some back office. Next to him was a man dressed in a hoodie and a pair of sweat pants. Clawhauser had one of the man's arms draped over his shoulder as he helped the tall redheaded man come down the hall. The man leaning against him walked with a limp on his right leg, and his left arm was suspended in a sling; his head was bowed as if he was still asleep.

The two stopped at the entryway, standing there facing the group in the lobby. Jack stood up as they stopped, the motion causing the redhead to look at him, they stared at each other for a moment. Jack maintained eye contact while the man's eyes flicked down and then back up, sizing up Jack; when he looked at Jack's shoulder, where his Divison badge was located, the man scowled.

"Clawhauser, why are we out here? Did you really need to wake me for… whatever this is?" He said as he finally broke eye-contact, turning his head back to the officer beside him. The air between them grew tense as Jack felt waves of animosity come from the man.

"Yes I did Nick," Clawhauser said excitedly, "look in the middle, look who's here."

Nick sighed, looking crossly at the shorter man, and then turned back to the crowd gathered by the front doors. As he watched, the group grew quiet and parted down the middle, revealing a short, easy-smiling young woman with grey hair.

Nick suddenly stood upright as if someone shocked him; he pushed off of Clawhauser and took a step forward, disbelief and surprise shown clearly in his wide eyes.

"J-Judy?" He said softly, almost a whisper.

Judy turned, looking up through the gap in the circle of people around her, she raised a hand to her mouth when she saw the tall redhead.

"Nick!"

* * *

 _Next time: – Ch 4 Teaming Up –_


End file.
